Has anyone else heard rumor that Jim Snabe will replace Hasso as Chairman? Hasso just renewed, for the last time, his term for another two years and Jim signed on last year for another 4 year term at Siemens which means then both terms will more or less be expiring at about the same time. If it happens it would obviously be too far down the road for any RIF's which are likely by end or year or next, but would love to see Jim come back and help sort things out.
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Good observation !
Not sure about it. On the one side it does make sense to bring back a former CEO who was with SAP for many years and apparently Hasso ( and Dietmar) seem to like. But on the other side Jim has been out of the SW biz for last 10 years when a lot of new technology was developed ( ie. Cloud business). And when he partnered with Bill he was somewhat overshadowed by Bill's showmanship and salesmanship, so never was really clear about his skill set as a CEO.
But it does have plausibility and I could see why Hasso would be interested in putting in a trusted former executive to lead the company We will see what happens. In any case we really need a strong leader who has the depth to unload weak areas of SAP and strengthen ones that have potential.
It's why Hasso extended his term for 2 more years. Under the Board rules he implemented he should have left when he was 75, but now will be 79 by the time he leaves. Market wasn't too happy that he prolonged his departure but the word about Jim coming back is getting widely circulated - most likely to quell the investors if they know Jim will be back.